A Franklin woman pretended to be a 14-year-old boy named Matt Abrams to get close to a Springboro girl, authorities said.

Patricia Dye, 31, of Franklin, remained in the Warren County Jail on Tuesday, July 6, charged with unlawful sexual conduct with and corruption of a 16-year-old Springboro girl in late May at the girl’s home. Dye, who used the alias Matt Abrams, is 4 feet 11 inches tall, smaller than the 5-foot-5 victim, according to police reports.

“They were boyfriend-girlfriend,” Sgt. Bob Marchiny said. “(Dye) looks just like a boy.” Police began investigating Dye after the girl ran away from a hotel where they had been living together for three days in June. The girl did not realize Dye was a woman, Marchiny said.

“We realized the person she was with wasn’t who we thought she was,” Marchiny said. Dye, arrested on June 30 in Franklin, admitted to pretending to being a boy, Marchiny said. “It’s not an easy thing to do,” Marchiny said.

Dye is charged with corruption of a minor and unlawful sex with a minor. A charge of importuning, or soliciting sex with the girl, was dismissed after a pretrial hearing Tuesday, according to prosecutors.